Stolen Car Recovered in Lino Lakes, Suspect Arrested

The neighbor called police around 5:40 a.m. Friday, Jan. 4, and reported seeing a man sitting in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle on the 6900 block of Lamotte Drive.

Police learned the vehicle had been stolen around 12:55 a.m. that morning out of Pine County, so they responded to the area.

When they arrived, police say they saw two men walking toward the vehicle. One of the men was identified as 33-year-old Shawn Samuel St. John of Hinckley. An investigation revealed that St. John had walked to the other man’s house and asked him to help jump start the vehicle.

According to the criminal complaint, St. John is friends with the vehicle owner’s daughter, and she suspected St. John stole the car.

St. John has been charged with receiving stolen property. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.